Tray-holding means for card-table leg



Sept. 24, 1963 R. E. CONLEY TRAY-HOLDING MEANS FOR CARD-TABLE LEG 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 9, 1961 FIG.I

INVENTOR R0 RT E. CONLEY BY FIG. 3

ATTORNEY p 24, 1963 R. E. CQNLEY 3,104,625

TRAY-HOLDING MEANS FOR CARD-TABLE LEG Filed May 9, 1961 I 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. ROBERT E. CONLEY BY Z, 441

A TTORNE Y United States Patent 3,104,625 TRAY-HGLDIN G MEANS FOR CARD-TABLE LEG Robert E. Conley, 1541 Brown St, Akron, Ohio Filed May 9, 1961, Ser. No. 108,868 6 Claims. (Cl. 108-96) This invention relates to the combination of a foldable card table, a snack tray, and means on a leg of the card table for removably holding the tray. Each of the table legs may be provided with such holding means for support of a separate tray.

The tray-holding means is a plug, preferably permanently attached to the table leg. 'llhe tray is engaged in a slot opening in the plug. The plug of this invention is designed to fit on a tubular table leg, and preferably a generally cylindrical table leg, although it can be designed for use on a table leg of rectangular cross section.

In general, there are two types of card tables distinguished by their leg structure. In one type the legs are perpendicular-that is, they are positioned at 96 degrees to the underside of the table top. In the other type the legs slant out slightly so that they form an angle of only 70 degrees with the table top and with the floor. There is a leg opening in the plug to accommodate the table leg and the slot opening in a preferred plug of the type employed in carrying out the invention, is tilted at about degrees to a plane passed through the plug perpendicular to the leg opening. When applied to a table with a perpendicular leg the plug is located on the leg with the slot slanting down; and on a slanting table leg in the reverse position with the slot slanting up. In either arrangement, when a perfectly flat tray is fitted into the slot, it will tilt only slightly. Trays used with plugs slotted at an angle in this way, preferably have the edge which fits into the slot bent at an angle of 10 degrees to compensate for the difference between the angle of the slot and the horizontal.

The shape and composition of the plug are unimportant. A polyethylene plug is preferred for permanent attachment to a table leg. The polyethylene is heated until it softens and then pressed tight against the table leg. On cooling, the plug is permanently attached to the table leg. The tray may advantageously be in the slot while the polyethylene is heated, and retained in the slot and at the proper angle while the polyethylene is cooled.

Most legs of the tables now on the market are cylindrical and 22 to 26 mm. in diameter. If the plug is first formed to annular shape with a mm. hole, and then slit radially, on heating it will soften and can readily be sprung to fit a table leg of either of these sizes. The pressure of the polyethylene against the table leg in tending to resume its original shape will ordinarily be all the pressure required to make a good bond between the plug and the table leg.

The angle of the slot in the plug is not critical. In plugs designed for use on vertical legs only, the slot is perpendicular to the leg opening in the plug. Most slanting table legs, slant at a 20 degree angle, and in reversible plugs for use on either these legs or vertical legs, the slots are in a plane of about 80 degrees to the leg opening. Thus, the angle at which the slot is located in the plug is not critical.

In the drawings, the invention is described more particularly as applied to a substantially cylindrical table leg, but the invention is not limited thereto. In the drawings- FIG. 1 shows a plug and tray in an exploded relationship;

FIG. 2 shows a tray assembled in a plug which is attached to a straight table leg;

3,104,625 Patented Sept. 24, 1963 FIG. 3 shows the same tray in the same plug, but with the plug reversed, on a slanting tab-1e leg;

' FIG. 4 is an exploded view of a ditferenttype of plug with a different type of tray arrangement;

FIG. 5 shows the tray and plug of FIGURE 4 assembled about a perpendicular table leg; and

FIG. 6 shows the tray and plug of FIGURE 4 assembled about a slanting table leg.

FIGURE 1 is an exploded view of the preferred plug 5 and the snack tray 6. This snack tray may be perfectly flat. It may be provided with a rim such as the rim 7 to prevent things from sliding on to the floor. It may include 10116 or more openings 8 to hold glasses. Such details are not critical.

The slot 10 in the plug 5 lies in a plane which makes an angle of about 80 degrees with the leg opening 12 through the plug which is intended to grasp the table leg.

It will be observed that in FIGURE 2 the leg 1 3 is vertical and the slot 10 slants from the tray 6 into the plug 5 at an angle of about 10' degrees. In FIGURE 3 the slot 10 slopes up to the tray, but since the plug has been reversed from the position shown in FIGURE 2, and the leg .14- slants at an angle of about 20 degrees, the slot 10 slants at only 10 degrees with respect to the tray.

The inner edge 15 of the tray may bend slightly downward, and since in both FIGURES 2 and 3 the slot slopes at 10 degrees, this inner edge 15 makes an angle of 5 degrees with the main body of the tray. If the slot 10' is in a plane which makes an angle of 10 degrees with the leg opening 12 through the plug, the tray 6 is held in a relatively horizontal position, regardless of whether the plug is used on a vertical leg or a leg with a 20 degree slant. Even the tray be perfectly flat, i.e. without the bent edge 15, it will slant at an angle of only 10 degrees.

The letter A (FIGURE 1) on the top of the slot shows that for a vertical leg this surface of the plug marked 1 A should be up.. The other surface of the plug may be marked with a B to show that when the plug is attached to a slanting table leg, the position of the plug should be reversed. Any other designation or instruction may be used to indicate how the plug is to be positioned.

FIGURE 4 illustrates an exploded view of a different type of plug. The two halves 25 and 26 are held together by bolts 28 (of which two are employed). The legs 39 and 39' which are integral with the tray 31 fit through the openings 33 and '33 in the half 25 of the plug into the openings 34 and 34' in the other half 26 of the plug. If the plug is designed for use on vertical table legs only, the legs 30 will extend out from the tray in the same plane as the tray. If the tray is to be used on slanting legs or if it is to be designed for use opt-ionally on either perpendicular legs or legs that slant at 10 degrees, the extensions 30 are advantageously located in a plane which makes an angle of 10 degrees with the plane of the tray 31.

In assembling the two halves of the plug 35 about a table l the assembly screws 28 are merely tightened to draw the two halves of the leg together. The tray 31 is not fastened in the plug. For use on a vertical leg, as illustrated in FIGURE 5 the tray is slid into the open ings 33, 33', 34 and 34' with the legs 30, 3d slanting up to the tray '31. For a table with slanting legs, as shown in FIGURE 6, the plug 35 is reversed. The openings 33, etc. slant down at an'angle of 10 degrees to the horizontal, and the tray is held in a plane that tilts only be removed from the plug for cleaning, and can readily be replaced.

The drawings are illustrative. The man skilled in the art can make modifications without departing from the invention which is defined in the claims which follow.

What I claim is:

1. A plug with a leg opening therethrongh, and a planar slot in the edge of the plug, the angle of the leg opening to the plane of the slot being 80 degrees.

2. The plug of claim 1 which is of resilient composistion with the walls of the slot spreadable to receive and grip a tray.

3. In the combination with a card table With a foldable leg and tray-holding means on the leg, the improvement in which the tray-holding means is composed of resilient material and includes a substantially horizontal tray-holding means is in one piece and surrounds the.

table leg.

4 6'. The improved combination of claim 3 in which the slot is at an angle of substantially 80 degrees to the table leg and no more than substantially 10 degrees from the horizontal.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 452,792 Jones May 26, 1891 609,592 Shultz Aug. 23, 1898 7 1,423,612 Jewett July 25, 1922 "1,697,814 Forbes Jan. 1, 1929 1,789,815 Hanley Jan. 20, 1931; 1,894,991 Hayes 12.11.24, 1933 2,292,102 Oluett Aug. 4, 1942 2,507,951 Barnes May 16, 19 50 2,543,997 Vavra et al Mar. 6, 1951 2,650,448 7 Lichtig Sept. 1, 1953 2,883,066 Pratt Apr. 21, 1959" 2,897,533 Bull et al. Aug. 4, 1959 2,912,712 Shamban et a1. Nov. 17, 1959 

3. IN THE COMBINATION WITH A CARD TABLE WITH A FOLDABLE LEG AND TRAY-HOLDING MEANS ON THE LEG, THE IMPROVEMENT IN WHICH THE TRAY-HOLDING MEANS IS COMPOSED OF RESILIENT MATERIAL AND INCLUDES A SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL SLOT THE WALLS OF WHICH ARE SPREADABLE TO RECEIVE AND GRIP A TRAY. 